Cherwell

Cherwell's population grew in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure.

The population passed 140,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Cherwell increased by 7.7%, from almost 132,000 to 142,000.

The addition of just over 10,000 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Cherwell was home to, on average, 1.7 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was lower than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Cherwell

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Cherwell increased by three years, from 36 to 39 years.

This growing rural area had a slightly lower average age than the South East and had a similar age to the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 4,000 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 4,000.

About 10% of people in Cherwell are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Cherwell by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Cherwell that rented privately increased from 10% to 16% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under one in eight (12%) households lived in social housing, compared with 13% in 2001. The percentage of Cherwell households that owner their home decreased from 75% to 69%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 10% in 2001 to 16% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Cherwell increased by 6.1 percentage points

Percentage of households in Cherwell, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Cherwell residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 6.2% to 3.9% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (85%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 73% in 2001. The percentage of Cherwell residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21% to 11%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 7.2% in 2001 to 4.4% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Cherwell decreased by 2.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Cherwell, the South East and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Employment in Cherwell

The percentage of employed people fell in Cherwell at a faster rate than across England.

In Cherwell, the proportion of employed people decreased from 62% in 2001 to 60% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England decreased from 53% to 52%.

Across the South East, the share of employed people decreased from 55% to 54%.

The rate of unemployment in Cherwell increased from 1.9% to 2.8%, while the rate of self-employment increased from 9.0% to 10%.

The rate of employment was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that that said they were employed across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Cherwell working less than 16 hours increased from 1.6% to 2.7% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 14% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.1% in 2001 to 3.1% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Cherwell increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Cherwell, the South East and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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